


Why Didn't The Moonstone Come With An Instruction Manual?

by bejesusness



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Moondrop | Moonstone Opal (Disney), Not Canon Compliant, the blue girl specifically does NOT exist in this universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-12-16 11:09:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21035267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bejesusness/pseuds/bejesusness
Summary: Cassandra is having trouble controlling the moonstone. If only there was somewhere she could find some information on it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this after episode 6, so it should be canonically plausible up to that point.  
Edit: So this is officially no longer canon compliant. Like I said in the tags, the blue girl doesn't exist in this world so Cass just decided to take the stone on her own. Whether the mother reveal still happened is up to you-but I don't think it really affects the fic either way.

Cassandra felt useless. 

She took the moonstone, she betrayed Rapunzel, and for what? Her powers weren’t working anymore. She could no longer control the rocks. She could no longer control her emotions. 

She was a failure. 

Where does someone go after doing what she did? She couldn’t go back. 

It’s not like she  _ hated _ Rapunzel. At least, not like Varian did. She just… resented her. She figured she had for a while now and it had all just grown and grown inside her until it was finally too much to handle. Could Rapunzel ever understand that? Could Cassandra ever forgive herself for betraying her best friend?

None of that mattered. When Cassandra wielded the power of the moonstone, she felt incredible. She felt  _ free _ . And strong in a way that she never had before— strong on the  _ inside _ . She had to get that power back. The only question was  _ how _ .

She sat in the grass in the center of a clearing in the middle of nowhere and thought. She needed to learn about the moonstone. Who would know about it? Adira would probably know how to use it, but she and Cass were never on good terms, and certainly were not now. That guy Hector seemed to know things, but he did seem a bit… homicidal. Not that Cass was afraid of him. After all, she had defeated him even before she’d had the stone. She just didn’t want to go through the trouble of tracking him down, and inevitably fighting him, on the off chance he might have the exact information she needed.

Xavier knew a lot about magic stuff and legends. But he lived in Corona and Rapunzel would have probably gone straight back to Corona and told everyone what she did. She’d be attacked as soon as she set foot on the bridge. Maybe even before.

Cassandra racked her brain for anything, anyone that could help her. Then she remembered—Varian. He’d been doing research on the rocks and trying to get his dad out of the amber. He’d looked up information on the sundrop. Maybe he’d found something on the moonstone, as well. Luckily for her, Varian was in prison, Quirin was out of commission, and the rest of Old Corona had fled their homes. It would be simple for her to break into Varian’s lab and snoop around.

So she got up, checked the location of the sun, and headed west-southwest toward Old Corona.

☽O☾O☽O☾O☽O☾

Eventually, Cassandra got to the outskirts of the town. She was surprised to see people walking around, going about their daily lives as if nothing bad had ever happened there. But this was the outer edge. Perhaps the people here had never left. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t taking any chances. She ran forward and grabbed a cloak off a nearby cart, seemingly removed and discarded after the owner returned home. Cassandra put on the cloak, pulled up the hood, and stealthily made her way into town.

She had another shock as she entered the town square. There were people all over, and they all seemed happy. Carefree. But besides that, the town looked brand new. As if the rocks never destroyed it. Buildings had been rebuilt, everything looked newly painted, it was like the past year and a half had never happened. Cassandra forced all of this to the back of her mind. The past year and a half  _ had _ happened. And even if somehow, Quirin had been rescued, there’d be no reason for him to be in his son’s lab. She could still break in unnoticed.

Cassandra snuck around to Varian’s house. No one was around, so she entered. She made her way to the lab entrance and descended into the depths. Halfway down, she heard a klang. And then other noises she couldn’t quite place. And they were all coming from the lab. She kept her steps soft as she crept to the bottom. She saw someone was faced away from her on the other side of the lab, apparently welding something. Cassandra drew her sword and approached them. She waited until the person finished what they were doing and set their equipment down.

With her sword point focused on the center of their chest, she exclaimed into the silence, “What are you doing here?” startling the other person so badly they nearly fell over. They turned around, noticed the sword, and raised both hands in surrender.

“I-I live here,” they replied. “What are  _ you _ doing here? Wait,” they lifted their protective mask from their face. “ _ Cassie? _ Is that  _ you?” _

When she realized who it was, Cassandra lowered her sword, but still held it at the ready. “Varian?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be in prison?”

“I-uh, I got…” he shuffled himself a bit, as if trying to find a pose that would keep him steady. “I was released?” he finished weakly. Cassandra watched as his eyes flicked upward, and then widened in awe. “What did you do to your hair?” he asked, excitement bleeding into his posture as he leaned forward to get a better look. “Is it  _ glowing? _ Or is it just that shiny?” She knocked his hand away when it got too close. “Anyway,” he continued, “you look great! I mean- not-not that you didn’t  _ always  _ look great but-”

Cassandra cut him off right there. “Look, Varian,” she said, “I’d love to stay and chat but I’m actually really busy.”

“Busy with what?” he asked as removed his mask and heavy gear and set them down on the table behind him. “Can I help?”

Her knee-jerk reaction was to say no, but, well, the whole reason she came here was to search through his research for information on the moonstone. And that  _ was _ something he could help with. “Actually, yeah,” she replied. “You can. But you have to promise to keep this secret.”

“Of course, Cassie. Anything for you.”

“I’m looking for information on the moonstone.”

She could see the moment Varian connected the points in his head. “Hold on,” he said and gestured to her chest, where the stone sat. “Is _that_ the moonstone? What are you doing with the _moonstone_? Actually, what _happened _to you? I asked Rapunzel why you didn’t come back with everyone else but she wouldn’t tell me anything.” He looked at her with concern shining bright in his eyes, but she couldn’t focus on that right now.

“Rapunzel?” Cassandra asked. “You’ve been talking with her?”

A nervous laugh bubbled out of him and he rubbed absently at his chin. “Yeah, so, uh, long story, but we’re kinda friends again.”

“Nevermind,” Cassandra shut him down, closing herself off again. Any friend of Rapunzel’s was going to be her enemy. “Just forget it. I’ll look somewhere else.” She turned away and started towards the door, but Varian ran ahead of her and stood with arms out, blocking her path.

“Wait, Cassie,” he pleaded. “Did you and Rapunzel have a fight or something?” She felt her eye twitch. Varian noticed it and winced. “It’s just,” he continued, “you’re both acting weird whenever someone mentions the other. Something happened on your journey, didn’t it?”

Cassandra took a step forward and glared down at him, trying to make herself appear as menacing as possible. “Get out of the way, kid.”

Varian lowered his arms, but surprisingly, didn’t back down. “Look, Cassandra,” he said, voice soft and dejected, “if you want to look through my research, go ahead. I’ll even leave for a bit if you don’t want me around.” 

“What,” she scoffed, “so you can run and tell Rapunzel I’m here?”

His lips pursed as he considered this. “I’ll probably have to tell her I saw you,” he decided. “But I’ll wait until you leave. And I won’t tell her why you were here. I keep my promises.” He backed up and turned to leave. Before he was gone, he called back to her, “Just don’t touch any of the alchemy stuff, okay? Some of it’s really dangerous.”

Cassandra stood there for a few moments, staring after him. Somehow, she believed him when he said he wouldn’t tell. She walked over to a desk piled with papers and books and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably write a second chapter where Varian talks to Rapunzel.


	2. Chapter 2

Varian arrived at the palace just in time for the oatmeal cookies to come out of the oven. Rapunzel, finished with her princess duties for the day, was in the kitchen baking. Eugene was there too, a bit off to the side, where Rapunzel was letting him pretend to help. Or maybe she was teaching him how to bake. Varian wasn’t sure which, but the mess in front of him led him to believe that Eugene had no clue what he was doing.

“Hey, Rapunzel,” Varian greeted her after the servant who escorted him to the kitchen turned and left. There were, of course, others who were working in the kitchen, but that couldn’t be helped. Varian always felt ill at ease around the palace staff. Whether that was the result of past experiences or just because he was awkward, he couldn’t say for sure.

“Varian!” Rapunzel smiled when she saw him. “Hi! What are you doing here?” Then she noticed the look on his face and her sunny disposition tempered into something more serious. She asked, “Are you okay?”

He tried on a smile in hopes to reassure her, but it didn’t quite fit right. “I’m fine,” he said. “Everything’s okay. Just, can we talk somewhere?”

“Of course,” Rapunzel replied. “Let me grab some cookies and then we can head up to my room.”

One of the servants who’d been working in the back corner of the room stepped forward. “Your highness,” she said with a curtsy, “Pardon me—I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but since I have, I feel it’s my duty to remind you that having a boy alone with you in your room is strictly forbidden by order of the king.”

Rapunzel looked questioning at her. “What? Yeah, but since Cass left I’ve had Eugene-”

“Anyway,” Eugene cut in before Rapunzel said something to give the girl the wrong idea, “I think the bigger issue here is what you’re implying. You know he’s  _ fifteen _ , right? Rapunzel would  _ never _ -”

“Oh, of course not,” the servant girl said all too sweetly. “That’s not what I meant at all. I only worry for the princess’s safety while behind closed doors with someone proven so…” she shot Varian a hostile look, “dangerous.” 

Rapunzel stood tall as her patience shrank. “Varian has more than proven himself trustworthy since then.”

“Pardon me, Princess,” the girl said with another cutsy. “I didn’t mean to offend.”

“If that’s your only concern,” Eugene said to the girl, “then I’ll go with them. If that’s alright with you, Varian.” 

Varian snapped his head up as he realized he had to be a part of this horrid conversation. “Yeah, I guess,” he said.

Rapunzel lightly gripped his wrist and pulled him toward the counter. “C’mon, Varian,” she said, “help me with the cookies.”

As the two of them piled the cookies up onto a plate, Eugene hung back and pulled the servant girl aside. “Rapunzel may be too nice to hold a grudge,” he said, quiet but firm, “but I’m not. And one day, I’ll have the power to fire people from working at the castle. I could probably even banish someone if I wanted to. So next time you want to insult one of Rapunzel’s friends, in front of her face, no less, you keep that in mind.” 

“Eugene,” Rapunzel called to him from the doorway.

“Coming,” he replied. Then to the girl, back in a normal, unthreatening voice, “Oh, looks like there are some extra cookies over there on the counter. Why don’t you help yourself!” He patted her on the back just a bit too hard and followed Rapunzel and Varian out the door.

☽O☾O☽O☾O☽O☾

By the time the three of them got to Rapunzel’s room, the cookies were all gone, enthusiastically eaten by all parties on the way. Rapunzel really was an excellent baker.

As they entered, she ushered Varian over to the bay window seat and had him sit down beside her. Eugene closed the door then wandered over to one of the chairs sat near the fireplace. “I’ll just… sit over here,” he said, leaning on the arm of the chair. He looked at the globe standing beside it and spun it idly. “Don’t mind me. It’s like I’m not even here.”

“Go on, Varian,” Rapunzel said, giving him her full attention. “What did you want to talk about?”

“So, uh… I saw Cas-” He caught himself before he called her Cassie, like he normally would have. It didn’t feel quite right at the moment. “Cassandra.”

Some strange assortment of emotions flashed their way across Rapunzel’s face. Varian couldn’t quite place any of them. “You saw her? Here?” she asked, a slight strain to her voice.

“No. No, back home in Old Corona.”

Rapunzel sank back a bit against her pillow. “Is she still there?” she asked. 

At nearly the same time, Eugene piped up from across the room, asking, “She didn’t hurt you did she?”

“What?!” Varian startled. Yeah, Cass was obviously… different now, but surely, she wouldn’t just attack someone. “No! No, she didn’t hurt anyone,” he continued. “She left—I don’t know where, but she’s gone now. So, uh… what happened to her?”

Rapunzel sighed and looked out the window. “It’s kind of a long story.”

Eugene had made a circuit around the room, on the way, picking a spare pillow off Rapunzel’s bed. He plopped down on it on the floor in front of her and Varian. “Wait-wait-wait,” Eugene said, inserting himself into the conversation. “What was Cassandra doing in Old Corona? Should we be worried?”

Varian looked from Rapunzel to Eugene to the loose thread at the bottom of his apron. “Well, she was just sorta… there,” he said. “I came down into the lab and… there she was. M-maybe she was looking for a place to hide? She didn’t know I was out of prison, so…”

“He’s lying,” Eugene said simply.

Varian whipped his head around to face him. “What?! I am…  _ not! _ ” _ _

“Kid, you tend to ramble when you tell a story,” Eugene explained. “And on top of that, you used to have that big ol’ crush on Cass, so I figure you should be gushing. You didn’t even  _ once  _ mention the hair.”

“Maybe he’s just shocked,” Rapunzel said, in Varian’s defense. “Like we  _ all were _ .”

Varian looked Rapunzel straight in the eyes. “I’m not lying,” he said and continued, not giving Eugene the chance to interrupt and try to contradict him again, “No, listen. I swear, Rapunzel. I’m not lying. I do know why she was there, but I promised not to tell. That was before I got an idea of what was going on, but still…”

“Look _ kid _ ,” Eugene said, “It's really noble of you to suddenly have morals-”

“Eugene!” Rapunzel cried in her scolding, no nonsense tone.

But he still barreled on, “-but if you know something that could help us stop Cassandra, that could help us protect the kingdom—Old Corona included of course—then you need to spill the dang beans.”

Varian fought against himself to not let any emotions show on his face. Rapunzel called his name softly and reached a hand out to him. He ignored it and instead took a steadying breath and summoned in equal parts a false bravado, teenage rebellion, and some of the anger that still simmered within. 

He sneered at Eugene, “Listen,  _ Eugene Fitzherbert _ —and you’ll notice I used your  _ name  _ here to address you like a polite and kind human being would, rather than a condescending piece of sh-”

“Enough!” Rapunzel cried, jumping to her feet, startling both of her guests. “Look, this whole thing is hard on all of us. It’s been a long day. I get it. But we don’t need to be fighting each other.” 

“You’re right, Blondie,” Eugene said after a moment. “I’m sorry, Varian. I know you’re not… like that anymore. Tensions are really high right now and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

Rapunzel waited for Varian to say something back, and when it appeared he wouldn’t, she prompted him. “Varian? Would you like to reply?”

He sighed and turned back to Eugene. “Thanks for the apology. I suppose I can forgive you.” 

Rapunzel continued to stare at him expectantly.

“And I guess I’m sorry I almost called you a piece of-”

“Okay!” She cut him off. “That’ll do, Varian.”

“Alright,” Eugene said. “It’s great that we’re all still friends but it still leaves the issue of what to do about Cassandra. Are you sure you can’t tell us anything more?”

“I promised,” Varian said sternly.

Rapunzel sat back down and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Varian,” she said, “if you made a promise not to tell us, you don’t have to. I understand. But—and I’m sure I’m probably the last person you want to hear this from—you need to consider that sometimes it’s okay to break a promise. Whether or not this is one of those times is up to you. It’s your decision to make, and I’ll respect it either way.”

Varian bit his lip. The thoughts inside his head wavered.

“Why don’t I fill you in on what happened over the past year with all of us and you can think about it?” she offered with a peaceable smile.

“Okay,” Varian agreed. “Thanks, Rapunzel.”

“So, around a year ago, Eugene, Cass, Lance, Pascal, Max, Fidella, Shorty, Hookfoot, and I went on a journey to follow the black rocks…”

☽O☾O☽O☾O☽O☾

Cassandra had left Varian’s without the secret to controlling the moonstone that she’d hoped to find. Varian did actually have a lot of information on the rocks, the Dark Kingdom, the moonstone. Just nothing she could really use. It was more trivia than practical knowledge. 

She wandered aimlessly through the woods for a while before finally finding a place to camp out for the night. Cass only hoped that this time, in the morning when she woke up, it would be different. That before the last bits of sleep were dusted off, she wouldn’t immediately look around to check on Rapunzel to make sure nothing happened to her in the night. That she wouldn’t immediately worry where the princess had wandered off to before reality caught up with her.

Those moments were the worst. A cross between memory and longing. A regret and a resolution. What could have been and could never be again.


End file.
